HAINES CITY, Fla. (AP) _ Mac Suzuki, making good use of a tip from his pitching coach, combined with two relievers on a five-hitter Friday as the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 1-0.

It was the second straight good outing for Suzuki, battling for a spot in the Royals' rotation.

He allowed three hits in 4 1-3 innings and struck out three, getting the win. In his previous start Sunday, Suzuki pitched three hitless innings with two strikeouts and two walks against Detroit.

Suzuki has been working closely with first-year pitching coach Brent Strom, who has him leaning his upper body slightly forward as he prepares to wind up instead of slightly back.

``It has really helped,'' said the right-hander, who has not looked at all like the tentative pitcher who went 2-3 with a 5.16 ERA for Kansas City last year.

``Now I'm able to see the catcher so much better,'' he said. ``Always before, when I would lean back, it moved my head out of position. It seems like such a little thing.''

Dan Reichert and Chris Fussell, former starters being switched to the bullpen, finished the first shutout this spring for the Royals. Reichert allowed one hits in 2 2-3 innings, and Fussell gave up one hit in his two innings.

Loser Octavio Dotel, obtained from the New York Mets in the Mike Hampton trade, allowed four hits in four innings and gave up the only run on Carlos Febles' RBI grounder in the third.

Dotel, who got the victory in Game 5 of last year's NL championship series against Atlanta, entered with a 5.87 ERA in 7 2-3 innings. Five Houston pitchers allowed a total of six hits.

Reichert came in with two on and one out in the fifth and got Tony Eusebio to ground into a double play on his first pitch.

``He's got the type of pitch that can create that,'' Royals manager Tony Muser said. ``We're trying to get him to believe in his fastball. The more he pitches and uses his fastball, he finds out how good a pitch it is.''